IMPORTACIONES DE DOCUMENTOS DIVERSOS Estarán exentas del impuesto las importaciones de los siguientes bienes:

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

—Douglas Adams (n.d.) Survey Recruitment

This study focused on a unique marginalized group of people that had to meet three requirements in order to participate in the survey. A participant must have been over the age of 18, they must have been currently working as an interpreter, and they must have self-identified as a lesbian who had already disclosed their identity to others. Recruitment for this specific group of interpreters was done using a social networking site (Facebook) and email. The recruitment information used was the same throughout the study and included written text explaining the study and the requirements, a link to the survey, and a flyer (see Appendix B).

Three Facebook groups were found that had members that could be potential participants and/or knew someone else that could qualify and be interested in

participating in the study: (a) ASL Interpreters – Queer Space, (b) BLeGIT* Queer Member Section of RID Interpreters, and (c) #InterpretingStudies@WOU2019.

Additionally, the recruitment information was also posted to the principal investigator’s personal Facebook page and was shared and reshared by 38 people.

There was a process of acceptance before announcements could be posted in both ASL Interpreters – Queer Space and BLeGIT* Queer Member Section of RID

post was visible to the members. The principal investigator was already a member of the group #InterpretingStudies@WOU2019 and did not need any further permission to post. Recruitment was additionally done via email through the principal investigators’

employer and their email distribution list. This was a specific distribution list of LGBTQ-identified persons who are employed by Sorenson Video Relay Service.

Recruitment officially began on October 1, 2019 and ended October 15, 2019. The survey and flyer were first published on social media and then emailed to Sorenson’s LGBTQ distribution list (see Appendix C). After October 15, 2019, the survey was no longer accessible. There were several individuals who inquired after the set time frame but were denied access by the principal investigator.

Survey Design

In order to gather large amounts of data in a short amount of time, surveys and questionnaires can be utilized. Hale and Napier (2013) mentioned that the majority of questions tend to limit the amount of answers given by using close-ended questions: “Questionnaires normally elicit three types of information: factual, behavioral and attitudinal. Factual questions elicit demographic information that is relevant to the research aims” (Hale & Napier, 2013, p. 59).

The survey used for this study used all three types of questions. The Google Forms was used as the survey platform. The survey consisted of nine sections and a total of 46 questions (see Appendix D). The sections consisted of:

1. Introduction to the study 2. Consent (see Appendix A)

4. Coming out in your personal life 5. Demographics 6. Interpreter Demographics 7. Optional 8. Interview Information 9. Survey Complete

The survey questions were both close-ended and open-ended. Several of the close-ended questions would have an option to mark Other and write in their response. Sometimes, if the participant would choose Other, they would be given the opportunity to explain their reasoning.

Data Analysis Procedures

The survey closed on October 15, 2019 with a total of 89 respondents. Of these 89 responses, 54 identified as lesbian, three identified as gay and/or lesbian, four identified as queer and/or lesbian, and two identified as gay, queer, and/or lesbian. As long as the respondents mentioned that they were in fact a lesbian but might prefer to be called gay or queer their responses were used. However, there were other participants whose responses were scrapped because they didn’t explicitly mention that they were a lesbian. Of the remaining 26 participants, six identified as bisexual, one as asexual, one as a transgender lesbian, one as a lesbian identified bisexual, four pansexual, one that prefers to say that they are “married,” one that prefers to “go by their name,” four identified as gay, and seven who identified as queer. After the 26 responses were removed from the initial 89, this left 63 viable survey responses for analysis.

Those 63 participant responses were then transferred into an Excel spreadsheet that had one spreadsheet document for topics related to coming out and one related to appearance. From there each question from the survey and the responses were put into one tab per question. The responses to close-ended questions were sorted by answers and put into a chart. If two or more close-ended questions were being analyzed at a time, then those would first go into a pivot table and then into a chart. These charts, especially the pie charts helped me see the bigger picture and know where to look for details in further questions. The responses to open-ended questions were analyzed by coding with a key word or thought and were highlighted within the Excel spreadsheet. This helped me to see and develop themes within the responses. These key words were then counted, put into charts, and compared to other key words and charts.

Limitations and Future Research

While this study provided a multitude of data and several descriptions of

participant experiences in regard to their lesbian identity, there are several limitations that can be considered for future research. This study was limited to only cisgender women who identified as lesbian and who were “out of the closet” with themselves, their family, and at work. However, the participants were mostly from urbanized areas, had a higher education, and were primarily White.

This study provided data on only those lesbians who were out and willing to disclose their LGBTQ identity as a lesbian. One limitation might have been that these participants were more “out” than the general lesbian interpreter. It would be beneficial to also explore the experiences of those who are not “out” and are not willing to share their sexuality with others. It is difficult to identity those who are closeted because they

may not be as willing to participate. It would then be important for that research to seek those who are less “out” during their recruitment stage.

For future research, it would be important to seek out those who live in rural areas and see if their experiences are different than those in urban areas. Also, there is an extreme need to explore the experiences of those from diverse racial backgrounds. Lastly, it would be important to explore the lives of those who wanted to participate in this study but labeled themselves as Queer or Gay, instead of lesbian. They too will be able to provide a unique interpreter experience.

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS